


Aubrey in Wonderland

by Knappster



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Tumblr Prompt, Wonderland AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-03 01:23:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5271278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knappster/pseuds/Knappster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aubrey falls off the stage during rehearsal and lands in Wonderland. Staubrey AU. Tumblr prompt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is totally different than anything I've ever written ever so your feedback is highly appreciated.
> 
> Prompt: Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass AU where Stacie is the Cheshire Cat and Aubrey is Alice.

It was the first time they were rehearsing outside the rehearsal room and on an actual stage. It wasn't the stage they were going to be competing on, but it gave them a better idea of how being on a stage felt like. The girls seemed to be excited about it and for the first time since the SBT mixer, Aubrey thought they might actually have a shot at getting back to lincoln center.

Aubrey stood in front of the group, looking at them with a satisfied smile. They may not be perfect but at least they looked in sync now, and they sounded good. Her eyes stopped when they got to Stacie and they roamed over her body. She had tried to deny the growing attraction she felt for the younger girl, but she couldn't help just looking at her sometimes, she was mesmerizing. When her eyes got to Stacie's face, the brunette was smirking and she winked at her.

Aubrey felt herself blush but didn't look away from Stacie's smiling eyes. She bit her lip and smiled back at her, completely forgetting the rest of the girls were there. Which is why she didn't notice when Fat Amy nudged Beca to "look at Aubrey and Stacie making googley eyes at each other again" a little too hard and making the shorter girl come stumbling towards her. Beca collided with Aubrey, which wouldn't have been a huge problem if they had been at the rehearsal room, but Aubrey was standing a little too close to the edge of the stage.

She took a step back to regain her balance but instead found nothing under her foot, falling back over the side of the stage. She tried to hold on to Beca but she couldn't reach her. She closed her eyes tight waiting for the impending collision with the floor but it never came.

She opened her eyes. Everything was dark but she could still feel herself falling. She waved her hands around but there was nothing there, just emptiness and the feeling of falling in her stomach. Aubrey frowned. Maybe there had been a trap door next to the stage that she hadn't seen but, how long had she been falling? Unless there was a hole that lead to hell under the auditorium, she should've hit something already.

She tried to remember something Stacie had said about terminal velocity and how skydivers changed positions to slow down or speed up mid air but all she could think about was Stacie's lips when she said it and how much she loved it when she spouted out random nerdy facts. She felt her stomach flip at the thought of Stacie and she chastised herself, this was not the time to think about Stacie or her lips.

She turned her head around, trying to find some indication that she was going to end up somewhere at some point, that she would not spend the rest of her life, however short it may be, falling. She started wondering how long it would take for her to die of dehydration. Stacie would know, but she would probably argue that there wasn't any documentation on the effects of free falling for an extended period of time so it was hard to know for sure. If there had been, Aubrey was sure the first thing it would say was that it was really boring.

She didn't know how long she had been falling, but after a while she started being able to see herself. She wasn't sure if it was because her eyes getting used to the darkness, or if there was light coming from somewhere. She looked down at her hands and then at the rest of her body. She felt fine, and other from the feeling in her stomach and the air sweeping around her, she could've been lying in her bed. Her clothes started to get clearer, but she still couldn't see anything else around her.

Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled faster, as if a huge vacuum was sucking her downwards. She barely had time to yelp when everything went black again.

* * *

Aubrey blinked her eyes open, closing them again at the brightness around her. She had stopped falling and she was lying facedown on a cold surface. She squinted and pushed herself up to her feet. She was in a completely white corridor, there were no windows or doors, but the walls and the floor seemed to be emitting their own light. She thought she could see something at the other end of the corridor but she wasn't sure.

She checked herself. She was a little sore but nothing actually hurt. It was more like the discomfort she felt after a particularly long rehearsal.

She turned around confused, walking to one side of the corridor. She pressed her hand against the wall, it was hard and cold, just like the floor. She couldn't tell where the corridor started or if it extended infinitely in both directions, there was nothing but endless whiteness. She could barely make out the place where the wall met the floor. She turned and started making her way towards the faint shape ahead of her.

As she got closer, she started making out the outline of a table. It was made of the same white material as the walls and the floor, which made it hard to make out from further away. There was something on the table and Aubrey sped up when she saw it. Maybe it was something that would help her get back to Barden.

She stopped next to the table. There was a small glass vial on it filled with some sort of clear liquid. A small piece of cardboard with the words 'Drink me' were scrawled on it in an elaborate font. The black letters were the only thing breaking the endless sea of white.

She furrowed her brow and considered her options. First option, she hit her head when she fell off the stage, went crazy, and was now in a psychiatric hospital, which would explain all the white; the liquid could be her medication and she should probably drink it. Second option, she was in hell and she knew from her greek mythology classes that she shouldn't eat or drink anything they offered to her here or she wouldn't be able to go back; if she could go back. Third option, this was some ridiculous prank, maybe by Bumper or Fat Amy, and it was some kind of psychotropic drug.

"No, thank you." Aubrey crossed her arms and shook her head.

"People are going to think you're mad if you keep talking to yourself." Aubrey whirled around at the sound of the familiar voice. Stacie was leaning on the wall, filing her nails with a smirk on her face. "Then again, we're all mad here."

"Oh my god, Stacie!" Aubrey sighed relieved and ran towards Stacie, wrapping her arms around her.

Stacie tilted her head to the side. Her smile widened in a maniacal way that would have looked disturbing on anyone else, but it somehow worked for Stacie. Stacie's hands had been resting on her hips and made their way around to Aubrey's back, rubbing small, comforting circles.

Aubrey's heart sped up at the the other girl's closeness. She hadn't thought about it when she threw her arms around her, she was just relieved to see a familiar face. She wanted to think she would've done the same thing had she seen anyone else, even Beca; but Stacie hadn't let go of her and this was lasting way longer than a regular hug.

Aubrey took a small step back, enough to not be pressed tightly against Stacie's body but without moving her arms from around her shoulders. Stacie's hands stayed on her back. She looked at the brunette, she was wearing a pink and purple striped shirt with pink shorts. She moved her gaze up to her face, her eyes seemed to be shining brighter than usual, and she hadn't stopped smiling.

She noticed something out of the corner of her eye and looked over Stacie's shoulder. She saw something hairy waving behind Stacie and she jumped away from her. She grabbed Stacie and turned her around. There was a furry tail, with the same pink and white stripes as her shirt, coming out from the top of her shorts. She took a couple of steps back and watched as Stacie turned towards her, lazily swinging her tail from side to side. "You have a tail."

Stacie's tail swung forward and she pet it gently. "You get an A on observational skills."

Stacie took a few steps in her direction and winked at her before suddenly disappearing, her swinging tail was all that remained for a couple of seconds before it vanished too. "Stacie! Where did you go?"

Aubrey was startled when she felt Stacie's body pressing behind her. "I'm right here."

Aubrey felt Stacie's breath on her ear and felt her hands on her waist. She looked down and saw Stacie's fingers on her sides. "Stace," Stacie's hands slid to Aubrey's stomach. "where are we?"

"We are here. Now. Together." Stacie kissed the spot behind Aubrey's ear.

Aubrey moaned but remembered the small fact that Stacie had a tail and took a step away, turning around to face her. "This is a dream, it has to be a dream. I just need to wake up." She walked back in front of Stacie and grabbed her head, leaning forward. "I always wake up right before…"

She closed her eyes and kissed Stacie. After a couple of slow, tentative kisses, she opened her eyes. It hadn't worked. She was still here, kissing Stacie, and Stacie was kissing her back. Maybe it wasn't a dream after all. She closed her eyes again and let Stacie push her back against the wall. Stacie bit her bottom lip softly making Aubrey gasp and allowing her tongue to move inside her mouth. Aubrey moaned and buried her fingers in Stacie's hair, pulling her closer.

The loud chime of a clock reverberated around them and Stacie pulled back, her smile falling for the first time. "I have to go."

Aubrey panicked and clinged to the top of Stacie's shirt. "What? No, you can't leave me. Where are you going?"

Stacie smiled again and kissed her a couple of times. Aubrey pulled her close. "Stace, please don't leave me."

Stacie squeezed her tight, looking into her frightened eyes. Her smile turned from maniacal to reassuring and she placed one last lingering kiss on her lips. "I won't be far." The clock chimed again and Stacie looked around. "I really gotta go, I'm late."

Her body started disappearing until Aubrey's hands weren't holding anything anymore. Aubrey moved back to the center of the room and yelled. "Late for what? How do I get out of here?"

"Maybe you just need a change of perspective." Stacie's laugh echoed around her.

"Stacie!" She yelled and waited, even though she knew Stacie was gone. "What the hell does that mean?"

She growled frustratedly and kicked the table, regretting it immediately when she felt a stab of pain shooting up her leg. She hopped on her other foot towards the wall and slid down to the floor. She hid her hands in her face and took a deep breath. She needed to get out of here, but how?

She looked up at the table and frowned, there was something stuck under it. She crawled over and reached for it. She grabbed the corner of what seemed to be a piece of paper and pulled it free. She stood up next to the table before looking down at her hand. She was holding a folded card, the front said 'Welcome to Wonderland' in big black letters. "Wonderland?"

Aubrey opened the card and read it with a frown.

_Ms. Aubrey Posen,_

_We are delighted that you decided to visit Wonderland. Enclosed you will find a ticket for the Mad Hatter's tea party, remember to keep it with you. Please accept the complimentary Wonderdrink on the table. Our greeters will be with you shortly to lead you out of the waiting room._

_We hope you have a wonderful visit,_

_Wonderland Immigration Department*_

_*The WID is an independent entity and is in no way associated with the Queen of Hearts. Any and all interactions with the Queen of Hearts or any of her associates are under the visitor's own risk._

"That sounds ominous." Aubrey removed a little card from a slot at the bottom. It had a green top hat on one side and her name in gold letters on the other. Under her name it said 'no guests allowed'. She shrugged and put the small card in her back pocket and left the larger one on top of the table, moving around to look at the vial.

The liquid inside looked pretty harmless, just like water. She lifted it and sniffed, it was odorless. Maybe it was just water. There was a tiny inscription on the vial she hadn't noticed before.

_Wonderdrink: All your favorites in one bottle._

She didn't understand what it meant but she figured things couldn't get any worse than being trapped here. She brought the vial to her lips and took a small sip, it tasted like cherries. She took a slightly bigger sip but this time it tasted like vanilla ice cream. Her brow furrowed and she drank what was left in the vial. This time it tasted like Stacie's kisses and she smiled.

A couple of seconds after she finished the drink, she felt her stomach start to rumble and she pressed her hands over it. "This can't be good."


	2. Chapter 2

Aubrey’s body started shaking violently. She tried to hold on to the table but it shook with her. Her legs were shaking so much she fell to the floor. She shut her eyes tight until her body stopped shaking. When she opened them again, everything seemed normal. She was on the floor, still surrounded by whiteness.

She rolled over to her side and  quickly stood up when she saw a huge pillar next to her that hadn’t been there before. She walked back and looked up, yelping when she noticed the pillar wasn’t that but the leg of the table that was now towering over her. She turned and saw the overturned vial on the floor, it was twice as tall as her.

Aubrey walked to the vial. Underneath what she had read before she drank it, written in tiny letters she couldn’t read before, was the legend ‘May cause shrinking’.

“Oh this is just great.” Aubrey threw her arms up and sat leaning on the overturned vial. She crossed her arms over her knees and leaned her head on them. “How am I gonna get out of here if I’m tiny?”

She heard loud, echoing footsteps heading her way. She stood up and turned towards the sound, watching as normal sized versions of Jessica and Ashley walked her way. They were wearing matching black shirts and white high waisted pants. On their heads, they had white hats with a pinwheel on top with the letters WID stamped on them.

“Where is she?” Ashley looked around and shrugged. “She couldn’t have gone anywhere. Are you sure she got in already.”

“Yeah.” Jessica looked down at a tablet she was holding and swiped her finger on it. “This says she got in 30 minutes ago.”

Aubrey started jumping and waving her arms. “I’m down here!”

“You don’t think one of them got her?” Jessica stopped, her face turning pale. Aubrey wondered who she meant by them.

Ashley shook her head. “Nah, they wouldn’t dare come in here.”

“Hey!” Aubrey kept jumping and waving her arms frantically.

“The Wonderdrink’s gone so maybe she’s…” They both looked down at the same time. “There she is!”

Aubrey dropped her arms and smiled. Jessica and Ashley crouched down. They smiled widely at Aubrey. “Hey, there.”

“Welcome to Wonderland!” They said in unison and made a sweeping motion with their arms.

“We are your Wonderland greeters.”

“We’re here to escort you out.”

“Don’t hesitate to come to us.”

“With any questions or concerns.” They talked in in quick succession, not pausing, as if they’d rehearsed this a million times before.

Aubrey frowned. “Well, I’m concerned about my current height.”

Jessica and Ashley looked at each other and then back at Aubrey. “Of course!”

“Silly us.” Jessica held out her hand in front of Aubrey. “Hop on.”

Aubrey climbed onto Jessica’s palm and stood at the center. She stumbled when Jessica lifted her up so she held on to her thumb. Jessica put her down on top of the table and started doing things in her tablet. After a few seconds a small white chest appeared next to Aubrey. Aubrey looked at it curiously.

“Open it.” Jessica and Ashley spoke together again and Aubrey found it mildly disturbing.

She walked over to the chest, the lid stood in line with her waist. She grabbed the edge of the lid with both hands and pushed it up with a little effort. Inside the chest were white cookies, all different shapes and sizes. The words ‘Eat me’ were painted on each of them with black frosting.

Aubrey knit her brows at the cookies and looked at Jessica and Ashley who nodded at her with matching eager expressions. She took the smallest cookie she could reach and lifted it, taking a small bite from it; it tasted like chalk and she grimaced, sticking her tongue out a couple of times.

“Shrinking is a very uncommon side effect of Wonderdrinks.”

“So no one’s really bothered to make the antidote taste better.”

Aubrey’s head moved from Ashley to Jessica as they talked. By the time they had finished talking, Aubrey noticed she was looking straight at them, instead of up at them, and she was sitting on the table back to her normal size again.

She smiled and hopped off the table. “That wasn’t as bad as shrinking.” She noticed she was slightly taller than Jessica and Ashley now. “I’m taller.”

“Oh, yeah, that happens sometimes.”

“It adds a couple of inches to some people.”

“Guess you get all the side effects.”

“Bad luck.”

Aubrey was very creeped out by their way of speaking right after each other. It was almost as if they were sharing one brain. “O-kay… Shall we go?”

Jessica and Ashley shared a look before smiling at Aubrey. “Yes!”

They walked together to one of the walls and Jessica started fiddling with her tablet again. Ashley took out something from her pocket and handed it to Aubrey. “This is your map.”

Aubrey unfolded it. A black dot on one of the corners was blinking with the words ‘you are here’ over it. The dot was inside a structure labeled Hall of Doors. The area where they were, as well as half of the map, was white; the top part of the map was red.

A door opened in front of them, leading out into a path. Jessica and Ashley walked out and Aubrey followed. Around the path stood tall flowers, almost as tall as Aubrey, and even taller trees. Aubrey looked around confused. “Why is this place called the Hall of Doors? There are no doors.”

Jessica and Ashley looked ashamed, like it was somehow their fault that the doors were missing. “They were stolen.”

“Why?” Aubrey couldn’t understand what someone could want with a bunch of doors.

Jessica and Ashley shrugged. “They do that?”

They led her to a small dock and boarded a row boat. Jessica sat at the back and Ashley in the front, taking a pair of oars each. Aubrey sat between the girls and watched as the black blinking dot moved over the map with them. It was currently in the middle of a small pond called Pool of Tears. Aubrey thought it was a pretty strange name, but everything was strange here so she didn’t question it.

They reached a dock on the other side  and Ashley hopped off the boat to moor it. She held out her hand to help Aubrey and Jessica step onto the dock. Aubrey walked off the dock but stopped and turned when she realized the girls weren’t following her. “Where should I go?”

“Anywhere you want.”

“Just stay out of the red zone.”

Aubrey looked at the map again, there were no labels on that side of the map. “What’s in the red zone?”

“That’s the Queen of Hearts’ territory.”

“She doesn’t like trespassers.”

Aubrey pursed her lips. She wondered briefly what the Queen of Hearts did that was so bad that they had to warn her about staying away so much. “Do you know where I can find Stacie?”

The girls’ eyes widened in alarm. “Why do you wanna find Stacie?”

“Stacie is one of them.”

“You don’t want to find them.”

Aubrey frowned and looked between the two girls. “Who is this them you keep talking about?”

“The Queen of Hearts and her people.”

“They’re bad news.”

“They stay on their side, we stay on ours.” They both nodded resolutely.

Aubrey pursed her lips in thought. She knew Stacie wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, and apparently she had risked a lot going to see her in the waiting room, but she knew arguing with Jessica and Ashley would be pointless. She could find Stacie on her own, she just had to get to the red zone.

She folded the map and put it in her back pocket with a smile. “Thanks a lot, girls.”

Jessica and Ashley bowed together and got back on the boat. Aubrey turned to them and they waved as they started rowing away. “Remember to stop by the tea party!”

Aubrey turned around and took out the map from her pocket, spreading it in front of her. The Mad Hatter’s house was right next to the border of the red zone, she could stop by there and then find Stacie.

Once she was sure where she was going, Aubrey put the map back in her pocket and started walking. Her stomach grumbled and she tried to remember the last time she’d had something to eat. She’d had breakfast before going to rehearsal but she didn’t know for sure how long ago that had been. She didn’t know how much time she’d spent falling, or how long she was unconscious for before she woke up in the white hallway. Maybe the Mad Hatter will have food, parties have food. She didn’t really know what to expect from a party here.

The strangest thing about all of this was that, since she’d seen Stacie, she’d stopped wondering what she was doing here, or if this was a dream. She figured that if she got to kiss Stacie then it didn’t matter, she just had to find her again.

She followed the path through a strange looking town. All the houses were different shapes and sizes. She stopped in front of a particularly odd looking one. It sort of looked like a birdhouse, except the structure above was several stories high. Each floor looked like it had been added at a different time, each with a different architectural styles, and some additions, like a big, circular window, thrown in haphazardly. She tilted her head and wondered who lived there.

She looked around thinking she could ask someone and, for the first time since she walked into the town, she noticed it was deserted. There wasn’t anyone in the streets, and it didn’t look like there was anyone inside any of the houses either. She frowned and continued walking to the other side of the town.

She got to a fork on the road and she was about to take out her map when she heard a horse behind her. She barely had time to jump out of the way before the horse dashed past her and to the road on the right. The rider seemed to notice her then and stopped the horse, turning it around and making it walk back to where Aubrey was standing.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Aubrey watched as Jesse dismounted the horse and did a ridiculous curtsey. “White Knight, at your service.”

Aubrey quirked an eyebrow and started walking around him, turning in the opposite direction he had taken. “Yeah, bye.”

“Wait! Where are you going?” He grabbed his horse’s reins and walked behind her. “Maybe you need an escort? Wonderland can be a dangerous place, you never know when the Queen’s henchmen will show up.”

Aubrey turned to face him at this. “What do you mean? I thought they stayed in the red zone.”

“They usually do, unless they’re bored and wanna cause trouble.”

Aubrey frowned. “Trouble like what?”

He shrugged. “You know, stealing things or letting spiders loose. They filled the well with gelatin once, that was a bitch to clean up.”

Aubrey had to stop herself from laughing since Jesse looked pretty upset about what he was saying, but to Aubrey it sounded more like harmless pranks than actual trouble. “Is that why everyone’s gone?” She pointed back at the town.

“Oh, no. Everyone’s already at the Hatter’s party by now, it’s her unbirthday.”

“Her what?”

Jesse looked at her like she was stupid. “Her unbirthday, you know, not her birthday.”

“But isn’t that everyday? Does she have a party everyday? Everyone’s there everyday?” Aubrey didn’t understand how anything got done in this place if everyone was out partying every single night.

“Not everyone everyday but most people most days. Except when it’s her birthday, there’s no party that day.” He said it like it was the most logical thing.

Aubrey frowned. “Why aren’t you there then?”

Jesse looked down at his feet sadly. “I’m banned. After what happened with the Queen, the Hatter didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“What happened with the Queen?” Aubrey looked at him confused. She had supposed that this whole reign of terror thing was just how things had always been, but Jesse’s tone made her think something had triggered it.

“I was in the royal stables one day, minding my own business, when the Hatter comes in and says she needs a horse and I’m like ‘Sure, but those are the Queen’s horses, she might get mad.’ and she’s like ‘I don’t care, Swanson, give me a horse.’” He smiled at Aubrey. “That’s my name: Swanson.” Aubrey rolled her eyes at him. “So I give her a horse and I’m like ‘If I’m gonna risk the Queen getting mad at me, I’m gonna need something in return.’ and she asks me what I want so I kiss her. That’s when the Queen comes in and she’s all ‘Off with their heads!’ and looks at us with a crazy murderous look on her face, so we fled. After that, everyone picked sides. Then, the wall came up and the Queen started chopping off the head of anyone who went into the red zone without her permission.”

Aubrey frowned. It seemed a little dramatic to do all of that just because the Hatter was going to take a horse. She decided to ask Stacie about it when she found her.

They got to the edge of the woods and Aubrey stopped. “Well, I don’t need an escort so you can go back to whatever you were doing before you almost ran me over with your horse.”

Jesse frowned at her but got back on her horse. “I’ll see you around then. I hope you don’t run into any Queen’s people.”

Aubrey waved and turned around. “I hope I do.”

As she walked down the path, the trees around her started getting thicker. She hoped this wooded area wasn’t too big. She could figure out in which direction to go from the map but apparently scale wasn’t their strong suit in Wonderland.

Aubrey shivered. The trees were so thick here that the sun barely made it down to the path, it was cold and dark and slightly damp. She took out the map again, the blinking black dot was right in the center of the woods. She was so focused on the map that she didn’t see the root of a tree crossing the path and she tripped on it. She would have fallen if someone hadn’t caught her elbow just in time. “Careful there.”

Aubrey turned towards the person who saved her from falling and her face split into a grin almost as wide as the one in front of her. “Stacie! How did you-?”

“I told you I wouldn’t be far.” Stacie pulled her behind a tree and pinned her to the trunk, placing her hands on either side of her head. She frowned for a millisecond. “You’re taller.”

Aubrey blushed. “Yeah, they had to unshrink me after I had the Wonderdrink.”

Stacie leaned forward, pressing her body against Aubrey’s and smiling predatorily at her. “It’s hot.” She kissed her forcefully, pressing her head back against the tree trunk.

Aubrey moaned and kissed her back, enjoying the way Stacie’s body felt against hers. She ran her hands up Stacie’s sides and up to her shoulders, her fingers brushing over her neck softly. She pushed Stacie’s head back and slowed down the kiss. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t allowed on this side.”

Stacie smirked at her. “So they told you I was one of them?” Aubrey nodded. “And it doesn’t bother you?” Aubrey shook her head. “Good.”

Stacie leaned down to kiss her again but Aubrey put a hand on her chest to stop her. “What happens if they find you here?”

Stacie shrugged. “I can just do this.”

Stacie disappeared and Aubrey pushed off the tree, turning around to look for her. “Stacie!”

She felt Stacie’s body behind her and her arms around her waist. “Yes?”

“I just don’t want you to get in trouble.” Aubrey squeezed Stacie’s arms.

Stacie shifted behind her and started kissing her neck. “You’re worth it.” A shiver ran down Aubrey’s spine and she felt Stacie’s smile against her skin. “I was hoping you could help me with something though.”

Aubrey turned around in Stacie’s arms and smiled at her. “You wanna fill the well with gelatin again?”

“That was genius.” Stacie’s smile widened at the memory.

Aubrey hummed thoughtfully. “Or we can graffiti their sheep.”

Stacie’s brow furrowed confused. “Why would we paint their livestock?”

“I don’t know, I’m not good at pranks.” Aubrey hid her face on Stacie’s neck.

Stacie chuckled and rubbed her back. “I don’t need help with a prank.” Aubrey took advantage of her position and started peppering kisses on Stacie’s neck. ”I need you to get something back for us: the Queen’s crown.”


	3. Chapter 3

Aubrey’s lips stopped against Stacie’s neck. “What do you mean you want me to get the Queen’s crown back? Who has it?”

“The Mad Hatter stole it, but she lost it on a bet to the Caterpillar.”

Aubrey raised her head to look at her. “Why do you need me? Can’t you just, you know?” She waved her fingers in between their faces. “Puff in and take it back?”

“I tried but it’s in a display case in the middle of the main room of her bar and she keeps the key on herself all the time.” Stacie brushed back Aubrey’s hair, her smile wasn’t maniacal anymore, it was sweet and Aubrey felt her knees weaken. “She can’t resist a challenge, you just have to go in and challenge her to something you’re sure you can win.”

Aubrey was the one who was finding it hard to resist Stacie’s pleading eyes so she leaned forward to kiss her softly before responding. “Say I help you, what do I get?”

Stacie smirked and pushed her back to the nearest tree. “What do you want?” Aubrey bit her lip, feeling shy all of a sudden. Stacie moved her hands down Aubrey’s arms and laced their fingers. She leaned forward to whisper in Aubrey’s ear. “You can’t say me, you already have that.”

“I do?” Aubrey’s stomach flipped and she couldn't control the smile on her face.

Stacie looked at her and nodded. “You've always had me, you just had to make a move.”

“It was that easy?” Stacie nodded and Aubrey pulled her closer by their joined hands, pecking her lips a few times. “Then I want…” She pursed her lips and thought about it for a short time. “I want to know what happened between the Queen and the Hatter.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you after you get the crown.” Aubrey pouted. Stacie ran her hands reassuringly up and down her arms. “It’s a long story. We’ll take the crown back to the palace and then we can go to my place.” She twirled a strand of Aubrey’s hair. “I’ll tell you everything over dinner.”

“Okay.” Aubrey wrapped her arms around Stacie’s waist and looked up at her. “How am I supposed to get the crown then?”

“How high can you jump?” Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. “No jumping then. Can you hold your breath for a long time? You can probably outrun her but she might cheat. Oh do you know any riddles? She’s really bad at those.”

“Really? I’m just gonna walk in and tell her a riddle and, if she can’t guess, I get the crown?”

“It might not be as easy as that but yeah, that’s the plan.” She kissed her. “I’ll take you to the Caterpillar’s and stay close in case something goes wrong. When you have the crown we’ll go to the palace.”

Aubrey exhaled loudly. “What if I can’t get it? What if I say the wrong thing?”

Stacie cupped her cheeks. “I can be in there and get you out in less than a second. I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”

Aubrey nodded and rested her head on Stacie’s chest listening to her heartbeat for a while. She wasn’t sure she could get the crown but she trusted Stacie wouldn’t leave her in there if something went wrong.

Aubrey squeezed her tightly once and took a step back. “So how does this work? The whole disappearing and appearing somewhere else.”

“It’s actually a double ability. I can disappear without going anywhere.” Stacie disappeared but Aubrey could still feel the pressure of her body against hers. “You can’t see me but I’m still here.”

Aubrey felt Stacie’s hand lifting her shirt and touching the skin above her hip. “I can choose to make just my hand appear again.” Aubrey saw Stacie’s hand appear and push her shirt higher. Aubrey’s breath caught in her throat. “Or reappear completely.”

The rest of Stacie appeared again, kissing her and pushing her back against the tree.

“Now, moving to a different place is a whole different thing.” Stacie disappeared again but this time Aubrey couldn’t feel her anymore. She saw Stacie walking out from behind a tree a little further away, then she blinked away and appeared right in front of her again. “And I can take you with me.”

Aubrey felt Stacie’s hands around her and a rush of cold wind enveloped them for a second, making her close her eyes and press her face against Stacie. When she opened her eyes again, they were standing in a clearing in the woods, covered in little multicolored flowers. “I can’t make you disappear with me though.”

Aubrey took a step away from Stacie and looked around with a smile on her face. “That was awesome.”

Stacie gave a little shrug and moved next to her. “Are you ready?”

Aubrey nodded. Stacie held out her hand and Aubrey took it. Stacie pulled her close and Aubrey felt cold wind hitting her again. She opened her eyes. They were at the edge of the woods, she could see a weirdly shaped building at the end of a path. Smoke was coming out of the chimney on top and she could see dimmed lights behind the windows.

“Walk in and sit at the bar. The Caterpillar will approach you, they don’t get a lot of strangers here.” She reached into her pocket and handed her a bunch of funny looking coins. “For your drink. Don’t ask about the crown right away, she’ll get suspicious.”

Aubrey nodded nervously. “If anything happens-”

“I’ll get you out. Don’t worry.” Stacie kissed her softly. “You’ll do great. I’ll see you here when you come out.”

Aubrey gave Stacie one last kiss before she turned around and started making her way towards the building. She turned when she was halfway there and Stacie waved her on. She reached the door and took a deep breath before pulling it open.

As soon as the door was open, she heard the sound of weird music coming from a band in a corner of the room. It sounded like a mixture of springs uncoiling and bubbles popping, and the instruments they were playing didn’t look like anything Aubrey had seen before. The room wasn’t very crowded. There was a group of people on one of the corners of the room but she couldn’t see who they were facing.

She made her way to the bar on the side of the room. Stacie hadn’t told her what to order and she had a feeling they wouldn’t have regular rum and coke type of drinks. She climbed up onto a stool and waited for the bartender to turn around.

She tapped her fingers nervously on the bartop. She wasn’t as confident as Stacie about being able to get the crown from the Caterpillar. She knew she was out of her depth, beating someone with riddles wasn’t exactly something she did every day.

The bartender turned around with a smile. “Benji?”

“Hello. What can I get for you?”

Aubrey smiled back at him and leaned forward. “What’s your specialty?”

“I make a decent Rump Shaker.”

“Rump Shaker?” Aubrey’s brow furrowed for a second. “Sure, I’ll take that.”

Benji started pouring things into a glass. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

“Yeah, I kinda just stumbled upon this place.” Benji handed her a glass with a glowing liquid. Aubrey placed one of the coins that Stacie gave her in front of Benji.

“Hope you like it.” He picked the coin up and tapped it once on the bar before putting it in a jar behind him.

Aubrey looked at the liquid in the glass before lifting it up to her nose. It smelled fruity and sweet. “It’s not gonna shrink me, right?”

Benji chuckled. “Bad Wonderdrink experience?” Aubrey nodded. “This is harmless.”

Aubrey lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. It tasted sweet and she felt little bubbles in her mouth. She felt the liquid go down her throat. When it reached her stomach, the liquid jumped around inside her, like it was causing little explosions. It stopped after a couple of seconds and Aubrey smiled at Benji. “This is great!”

Benji looked down, slightly embarrassed. “Thanks.”

Aubrey took another sip as Benji moved away to serve a drink for someone else. She tried to focus on the bar in front of her and not look around for the Caterpillar. Stacie said she’d come to her, she just had to be patient.

“What did you order?” Aubrey jumped at the sound of Stacie’s voice and turned. She felt a finger on her chin. “Don’t turn your head, they’ll notice you’re looking at someone who’s not there.”

Aubrey tensed her body and stared straight ahead. Clenching her teeth and barely moving her mouth when she spoke. “What are you doing in here?”

“Just checking on you, babe.” She felt a kiss on her cheek. “I can’t stay long, the invisibility thing is… unstable. I’ll pop back in later.”

Aubrey moved her hand to the side where the kiss came from. She felt Stacie take her hand and give it a little squeeze. “She’s coming over now, don’t look. Good luck.”

Aubrey’s hand was suddenly empty. She moved it to grip the glass tightly and took a drink, the feeling from her drink mixing with her nerves. Just as she was about to turn her head despite Stacie’s warning when she heard a booming, heavily accented voice. “Who’s this blonde twig we have here?”

Aubrey turned in her stool. The voice had been enough for her to recognize the speaker, but she wasn’t expecting the image in front of her. Fat Amy was sitting in a litter, wearing flowy green clothes and being carried by a group of shirtless men wearing bow ties. She gestured with her finger and they put her down in front of Aubrey. “What’s your name?”

Aubrey stood up and clasped her hands behind her back. “Aubrey.”

Fat Amy took a drag from a hookah sitting next to her on the litter. She exhaled colorful puffs of smoke around Aubrey before speaking again. “Aubrey. What brings you to my fine establishment this evening?”

Aubrey shrugged. “Just passing by, I heard this place was good.”

Amy laughed. “Glad we’re getting good publicity.” She motioned again and the litter was lifted again. “Come sit with me.”

Amy was carried away and Aubrey followed. They set her down on the far corner of the room, right in front of the display case where she kept the crown. Aubrey couldn’t help looking at it, it was huge and golden with big colorful jewels. The biggest one was a heart shaped ruby on the front.

Amy noticed her looking and raised her eyebrows. “Cool, ain’t it? It belonged to the Queen of Hearts.” She blew a smoke ring at the crown. “I got it from the Mad Hatter, she bet me I couldn’t wrestle a gryphon.” She scoffed. “I showed her.”

Aubrey wasn’t sure what a gryphon was, but she nodded anyway. “That’s pretty impressive.”

“What about you, twiggy?”

Aubrey frowned, slightly afraid that she knew why she was there. “Me?”

“Yeah, wanna wrestle?” Amy straightened up and Aubrey raised her hands to stop her.

“No, no wrestling.” Aubrey took a step back.

Amy sat back down and waved her hand dismissively. “You’re right, I’d probably snap you in half.” She took more drags from her hookah. Aubrey swung between her heels and toes, not really knowing how to breach the challenge conversation. 

After a while, Amy sighed. “You’re boring me, you can go.”

“Wait!” Aubrey had to come up with something fast. “Do you like riddles?”

Amy tilted her head. “Riddles? Yeah sure. Try me.”

Aubrey bit her lip. Stacie could have given her a couple of riddles to start. “What is brown and sticky?”

Amy frowned and scratched her chin. “Brown and sticky…” Her frown deepened and she opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. She clapped and smiled. “A stick! Nice one, twiggy. Okay, give me another one.”

“Okay.” Aubrey hummed as she thought of another riddle. She nodded when she came up with one. “Okay, what has one eye but cannot see?”

Amy narrowed her eyes at her. “Eye… eye, eye, eye…” She turned to look at one of her minions and snapped her fingers in front of him. “One eye.” He shook his head with a clueless look on his face and she rolled her eyes. She turned back to Aubrey. “Alright, I give up. What is it?”

Aubrey smiled. “A needle.”

Amy laughed. “Good, that’s one for you and one for me. Another one.”

“Tell her about the crown.” Aubrey felt Stacie’s breath in her ear and her hand on her lower back.

She leaned back into the hand and smiled. “Why don’t we make this a little more interesting?”

Amy stretched in her seat. “What do you mean?”

“A bet. If you can’t guess the answer to the next riddle, I get the crown.”

Amy quirked an eyebrow at her. “And if I do?”

“I’ll get you out if she does.” Stacie’s hand moved reassuringly on her back.

Aubrey reached into her pockets. The only things there were the ticket to the Mad Hatter’s party and her pitch pipe. She felt the cold metal of the pitch pipe and sighed. She took it out, holding it out in her palm to show it to her. “I’ll give you this.”

Amy squinted at it. “What is it?”

Aubrey brought the pitch pipe to her lips and blew on it. “It’s my pitch pipe. Whoever has it, gets to be captain.”

Amy wasn’t sure what that meant but it sounded important. “Alright, twiggy, hit me.”

Aubrey smiled widely. “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

Amy frowned and stood up, pacing in front of Aubrey while she repeated the riddle. After a while of not finding the answer, she started getting agitated, repeating the riddle louder and louder. She grabbed a passing person and shook them, shouting the riddle in their face before dropping them sloppily on the floor in front of her. The guy scampered off as fast as he could and everyone else took a couple of steps away from her. She slumped her shoulders and turned back to Aubrey. “I give up, what’s the answer?”

“Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front.”

Fat Amy glared at her and for a second Aubrey thought she was going to do something to her. She felt Stacie get closer to her, ready to take them both out if she did, but the other girl just huffed and turned to the display case, taking the key out of her cleavage and opening it. She grabbed the crown carefully and turned around to face Aubrey. The tube from the hookah still clenched tightly in her teeth.

She started puffing smoke in Aubrey’s direction as she got closer to her. By the time she was close enough for Aubrey to take the crown, there was a thick cloud of smoke around her. Aubrey stretched out her hands to grab the crown when she felt Stacie tighten her grip on her and cough.

Fat Amy’s eyes moved behind her and widened in alarm. The cough had turned Stacie visible again and everyone in the room gasped. “You!”

Stacie grinned at Fat Amy and wiggled her eyebrows, tightening her grip on Aubrey. “Grab the crown.”

Aubrey reached out and held it close to herself. Before she could even think about what was happening, she felt cold wind moving around them and the room disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm still updating this! So rejoice, 5 people who read this. :P

 

Stacie let her go as soon as they reappeared. They were standing in a long hallway, its walls were made of large stone bricks and the sun filtered in through large windows interspaced evenly along one side of it. There was no one else in there, and Aubrey couldn't see an end to the hallway. The wall opposite the windows was smooth stone all the way without any doors or openings.

Stacie grabbed Aubrey's shoulders and shook her excitedly. "That was amazing! Did you see her face when she saw me?" Stacie laughed. "And you were awesome!" She started kissing Aubrey. "You're so hot."

Aubrey pushed her back chuckling. "Stace, the crown."

Stacie took a step back. "Right, the crown! We should take that to the Queen." She cupped Aubrey's chin. "And then, you and I can get back to celebrating."

She turned around and started walking down the hallway. Aubrey rolled her eyes and followed her. "You have to tell me about the Queen and the Hatter before any celebrating happens."

Stacie stopped walking and pouted. "But celebrating is way more fun than a boring, old story." Aubrey crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Fine, story first. And don't mention the h-a-t-t-e-r while we're here."

Stacie turned right and pushed on one of the bricks. A section of the wall started shaking and the bricks moved to the side, revealing a small room with wooden panels on the walls. Stacie smirked at her and moved inside.

Aubrey followed cautiously and the brick wall closed as soon as she was on the other side. She ran her hand along the wood panel where the opening had stood but that section of the wall was indistinguishable from the rest, any sign of the opening gone.

She turned around to look for Stacie, she was on the other side of the room talking to someone. Aubrey joined her and chuckled when she saw Cynthia Rose wearing a white herald's uniform with a huge red heart on the front.

Stacie turned when she heard her and smiled, taking her hand and pulling her to her side. She kissed her cheek and turned back to CR. "This is Aubrey."

CR looked her over and nodded. "I think I've seen everything now. I never thought I'd ever see her like this."

"Like what?" Aubrey looked between Stacie and CR.

CR laughed. "Tamed. She's like a house cat now. She's practically purring."

Stacie chuckled nervously and glared at CR. "Can you announce us? We have a crown to deliver."

CR smirked. "Sure thing, Stace." She nodded at Aubrey. "Nice to meet you, Tamer."

CR grabbed a trumpet and disappeared behind a tapestry on the wall. Aubrey turned to Stacie with a playful smirk. "What was that about?"

Stacie returned her smile and leaned towards her, stopping just before their lips touched. "I have no idea." She pecked her lips and pulled her behind the tapestry. "Come on."

They entered a big room. A red carpet led from where they were standing to a raised platform where a big heart shaped throne stood. Aubrey could see someone sitting sideways on the throne, their feet hanging from the side and scepter twirling in their hand. She was too far to make out her face but she looked familiar.

Stacie stopped her behind CR, who raised her trumpet and gave out a fanfare before stepping forward. "The Cheshire Cat and her Tamer!"

Stacie chuckled and shook her head, walking ahead. CR winked at Aubrey and went back to the other side of the tapestry.

"Your Majesty, I have a surprise for you." Stacie said in a sing-song voice and skipped forward excitedly.

"This better not be one of your pranks, Stacie." The Queen straightened up in her throne and looked down at them.

"Chloe?" Aubrey whispered. She frowned confused and walked faster.

Stacie smiled at the Queen like the cat who caught the canary. "We got your crown back."

Aubrey lifted the crown and gave her a tentative smile. Chloe stood up and smiled. "Oh goodie!" She snapped her fingers and Lilly walked out from behind the throne wearing a guard's uniform. She took the crown from Aubrey and took it to the Queen. "Thanks Stacie and…"

Stacie took Aubrey's hand and took a step forward. "Aubrey. She did most of the work actually, I was just the getaway driver."

Chloe looked at their joined hands and raised an eyebrow. "Well thank you Aubrey." She looked back at Stacie. "Make sure she doesn't get too attached, I'm not cutting off someone else's head just because you can't shake them off."

"What?" Aubrey let go of Stacie's hand.

"She's kidding." She smiled sheepishly and took her hand again lacing their fingers before turning back to Chloe. "She's different." She squeezed Aubrey's hand.

"Oh really?" Chloe looked surprised and studied Aubrey. "Come closer."

Aubrey looked at Stacie who gave her a reassuring nod. She let go of Stacie's hand and moved to the bottom of the steps leading to the throne.

"She's really pretty, Stace, you really know how to pick them." Chloe stood up from her throne and walked down, circling Aubrey slowly when she got to the bottom. When she got back to Aubrey's front, she stopped and narrowed her eyes at her before smiling widely again.

"I hope we get a chance to get to know each other. Maybe we can play a round of croquet." She looked at Stacie and raised her eyebrows. Stacie grimaced and shook her head. Chloe gave her a knowing look and walked back to her throne. "Some other time then, I'm sure you have other plans. Thanks for the crown, you may go."

Stacie smiled widely and moved to take Aubrey's hand again. "No problem, Chlo-" Chloe looked pointedly at her. "Your Highness."

Chloe rolled her eyes and waved her hand for them to go. Stacie half bowed with a smirk and pulled Aubrey back to the exit.

They went back through the tapestry but there was a different room on the other side, this one covered in lush carpets and big couches. Aubrey let go of Stacie's hand and turned. She looked at Stacie with a confused frown. "This is a different room."

"Your observation skills don't seize to amaze me." Aubrey rolled her eyes as Stacie moved closer. She ran her hands up her arms. "The tapestry takes you out to whichever room you want, you just have to think about it."

Aubrey arched an eyebrow at her. "And you wanted to go to the one full of comfy couches?"

"Well, yes..." Stacie smiled wolfishly. "I thought we could make out for a bit and these couches are really nice."

She took Aubrey's hands and walked her back to the nearest couch, laying her down carefully and crawling over her. The couch was so soft Aubrey felt like she was on a cloud and suddenly all the excitement of the day caught up with her. She yawned and blinked a couple of times. She cupped Stacie's cheek and smiled. "Maybe we can take a nap first and then make out."

Stacie chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from Aubrey's forehead. "Okay." She kissed her nose. "Nap."

* * *

Aubrey woke up to the smell of food. She opened her eyes and rolled over, taking a moment to orient herself. She wasn't where she'd fallen asleep, but the bed she was on was just as comfortable. She looked around the room. The bed occupied most of the room, there was a door directly in front of it, a big dresser against one of the walls and a small vanity next to it.

Aubrey kicked off the covers and stood up. Her shoes were next to the bed but she ignored them, walking in her socks out the door. There was a living room on the other side of the door. Beyond that there was a small kitchen where Stacie was humming and dancing while stirred something in a pot, her tail swinging happily behind her.

Aubrey smirked and walked to her. "Hey."

Stacie turned around with the spoon in her hand. She smiled widely at Aubrey. "You're up!"

Aubrey looked down shyly. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay. I thought I'd get started on dinner while you slept so I brought you home." She hurried to pull out one of the high stools by the kitchen island for her. "Sit, I'm almost done."

Aubrey sat down on and grabbed Stacie's hips pulling her closer before she could go back to the stove. "What did you make?"

"Anything soup."

Aubrey's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Anything soup? What is that?"

Stacie shrugged. "It's soup."

"What does it taste like?"

"Anything."

Aubrey shook her head deciding to drop this inane conversation and just wait until she'd tried it. She pulled Stacie closer and slipped her hands into the back pockets of Stacie's shorts, looking up at the smirking brunette and pecking her lips. "Are you gonna tell me the story now?"

Stacie rubbed their noses together ghosting her lips over Aubrey's. "I have a better idea."

Aubrey turned her head when Stacie moved to kiss her. "You said you'd tell me over dinner. Why don't you want to tell me?"

"I do but I also really want to make out."

Aubrey rolled her eyes but relented, pressing her lips against Stacie in a slow kiss. Her hands drifted up to her back, only flinching slightly when Stacie's tail brushed her knuckles as it swung lazily behind her. She pulled back when the brunette tried to deepen the kiss, pecking her lips a few times when she pouted. "Dinner, story, then more making out."

Stacie grumbled but turned around to get bowls and serve the soup. She placed one in front of Aubrey and took a seat across from her.

Aubrey picked up her spoon and looked into her bowl. There was a thick liquid in it that kept changing colors. She looked up at Stacie who was already eating and then back down at the gooey substance in her bowl. She dipped her spoon inside and swirled it around once before lifting it up slowly to her mouth. She paused when the spoon got closer to her face sniffing the liquid but it was odorless.

She finally lifted the spoon the rest of the way and put it in her mouth. The soup sloshed around in her mouth for a moment but she couldn't identify a particular flavor. She frowned wondering if they should consider changing the name to no-particular-taste soup.

"Try it again." Aubrey hadn't noticed Stacie had been looking at her with an amused smirk. "It takes the bit to calibrate."

Aubrey's frown deepened with confusion but she took another spoonful. Aubrey's eyes widened as soon as the liquid touched her tongue. "It tastes like pizza!"

Stacie smiled. "It tastes however you want it to taste. It sends neural signals to activate the right taste buds. Just like the Wonderdrink."

Aubrey stopped with the spoon halfway to her mouth. Stacie chuckled. "It won't shrink you. I fixed that but since they see me as the enemy now they don't have the improved formula."

"You fixed it?"

"Turns out one of the mushrooms I used in the original formula can cause an allergic reaction. I just had to find something to substitute it with." Stacie shrugged like it was nothing.

Aubrey's mouth hung open. "You invented them?"

"Before I was the Queen's prankster, I was her alchemist. I haven't had a chance to do something more elaborate than stink bombs and jello in a while though."

Aubrey considered this as she finished her soup wondering what other things Stacie had invented. Before she could ask, Stacie stood up to take her empty plate, kissing her temple. "Do you want some tea?"

Aubrey looked at her skeptically. "What kind of tea."

"Regular tea. I ran out of the aphrodisiac one." Stacie grinned and winked at her.

"Regular tea sounds good." She waited for Stacie to turn back around from placing the kettle on the stove and kissed her.

Stacie returned the kiss making her walk back towards the door to the living room. She pressed her against the doorframe and broke the kiss. "Go wait in the living room, I'll be right there with the tea."

Aubrey sat on the couch and waited for Stacie looking around the room curiously at the sparsely decorated room. There was a chimney in front of the couch with a surrealist painting of a forest which, now that she thought about it, looked a lot like the one she'd been in earlier, and a large bookcase on the wall that led to the bedroom.

Aubrey stood up to look at it. It was packed with leather bound books about everything, from physics to classic literature to unidentifiable. She ran her finger along the spine of a large tome labeled "Everything Vol. II: O-Z" and was about to pull it out when Stacie walked in carrying a tray with the tea.

She dropped the book and joined Stacie on the couch letting her pour her cup of tea. "Careful, it's hot."

Aubrey gave her a small smile and started blowing on it as she watched Stacie pour her own cup and take out a funny looking pipe from her pocket. She flipped a switch on the side and small clouds started coming out from the front.

Aubrey narrowed her eyes as Stacie took a drag from it. She offered the pipe to her and Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. "It's just water with flavoring, it's harmless. It won't mess with your vocal chords."

Aubrey took the pipe and eyed it suspiciously before taking the tiniest of drags. It felt warm in her mouth but it had a pleasant fruity taste. She exhaled a blue cloud and watched it as it dissolved slowly.

She handed the pipe back to Stacie and turned to face her, waiting expectantly as she took a couple of drags before she started talking.

"The Queen and the Hatter," Stacie began, exhaling red vapor in the form of a little stick figure with a crown and a blue stick figure with a top hat. "were good friends. Better than good friends, they were in love."

Stacie blew out a purple heart that floated around the stick figures. "The Hatter would make hats for the Queen, tall hats with songbirds living in them and tiny little hats that floated over her head. They would go on picnics and had tea parties. But they never told each other they were in love. The Hatter didn't think she was good enough for the Queen and she didn't want to scare the Hatter away. But still they were very happy because they were together."

Aubrey chuckled and leaned against Stacie watching the little stick figures spin around in a teacup. Stacie wrapped her arm around her shoulder and blew out a third stick figure with a sword. "Until the day the White Knight interfered. The Hatter was at the stables for some reason or other, telling the knight to let her borrow a horse. Everyone knew the Queen would let the Hatter take anything she wanted but the knight was being annoying and wouldn't let her take it." The stick figure moved in between the other two. "He kissed the Hatter and the Queen saw them and well, you've met her, she's kind of emotionally unstable, she ordered them to be executed."

Stacie blew out an arrow that cut through the figures making them fade away. "I managed to help them escape before the trial, I knew the Queen would never forgive herself if she went through with it. When she found out she made me prove my loyalty by destroying all of the Hatter's hats." Stacie looked away embarrassed about what she'd done. Aubrey kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand. "That's when people started taking sides and the Queen built the wall. It became us against them, and that's how it's been ever since."

Aubrey turned her head to look at Stacie. "So this all happened because of a misunderstanding?"

Stacie nodded pulling back to look at Aubrey. "So now you know the story…" She smirked and leaned forward. "You said something about more making out."

Aubrey stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Has anyone tried to fix it?"

Stacie furrowed her brow. "Fix what?"

"Their relationship? Has anyone tried to explain to the Queen that it was a mistake?"

"I tried but every time I'd mention it she'd go all guillotine-happy so I stopped trying." Stacie shrugged and tried to kiss Aubrey again but the hand on her shoulder tensed again.

"What if we convince the Hatter to try to talk to her? If they really love each other they must be miserable. You can talk to her and tell her how the Queen feels!"

"Baby, she won't talk to me. I'm the enemy, remember? Besides, even if we manage to convince her, we'd have to find a way to sneak her into the throne room and have the Queen listen to her without getting all head choppy."

Aubrey's hand moved to Stacie's neck and she scratched behind Stacie's ear. "Wouldn't you want someone to do that for us?"

Stacie leaned into Aubrey's hand. "Fine but we need a proper plan. And I better get a very long make out session after this."

Aubrey smiled and kissed her getting off the couch before she could deepen the kiss. "Let's start planning."


End file.
